The most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the world is beer (the America’s, Australia, Europe); the second is wine (South America, most of Europe); and the third is spirits (Asia, Russia). This post looks at spirits from various regions spanning the globe — what they are made from and the countries they come from.

Saké

Interesting fact: The brewing process of saké is more like that of beer than wine (although it is often called “Rice Wine” in the west.) The more that the rice is polished before resting and fermentation — that is, the nearest it is to the core of an individual rice grain — the higher quality saké it will produce.

Served: Neat, chilled or warmed.

Shōchū graffiti at Kōriyama Hachiman shrine, signed by two carpenters and dated August 11 of the 2nd year of the Eiroku period, i.e. 1559. (Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)

Shōchū

Comes From: Japan

Made from: Barley, sweet potatoes, or rice (the same components that make vodka), and sometimes from brown sugar, buckwheat or chestnut. It is usually about 40 proof — half of alcohol by volume (ABV) of regular potato, grain or grape vodka.

Served: Neat, on the rocks, chilled and with a variety of mixers – the Japanese favorite is oolong tea.

Barrels of Cachaça

Cachaça

Comes from: Brazil

Made from: Cane sugar

Its claim to fame: The only liquor that can wield the famous caipirinha, the national drink of Brazil. (Careful, the residual sugar in the liquor combined with sugar in the cocktail makes these things lethal!)

Wray and Nephew Jamaican Overproof label

Overproof

Made from: Molasses and sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation.

Pick your poison: Overproof is 75% pure alcohol (or 150 proof = poison) and is usually used solely as a cocktail float. But not in Jamaica, here, brands such as Wray & Nephew White Overproof rum are cut in half with fresh island fruit juices.

Port wine’s official seal.

Port

Comes from: Portugal

Made from: Grapes from the premier growing region, Douro.

The secret ingredient: aguardente (also made from grapes) is added to stop the fermentation and increase the residual sugar content which then boosts the alcohol content.

Retort for continuous steam distillation dated from around 1960. (Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)

Grappa

Comes from: Northern Italy

Made from: The skins of grapes

A hand-me-down drink: grappa is a biproduct of the leftovers of wine production.

Vodka

Comes from: Russia, Poland

Made from: Water and ethanol

Alcohol content: Today, the standard alcohol by volume (ABV) is 40% or 80 proof and must be at least 37.5% ABV to be labeled as a “European vodka.” In the US, anything over 30% ABV is considered vodka, but is better known as Moonshine.

Confiscated moonshine liquor still photographed by the Internal Revenue Bureau at the Treasury Department, Washington, D.C., circa 1920s. (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Moonshine!

Made from: Corn and sugar

Comes from: The United States of America

Moonshine is often called “white lightning” because it is not aged and is usually very high proof. Home-distilling of Moonshine is illegal, but Moonshine-like products, such as Everclear, are available in some places in the U.S. Abandoned moonshine stills can be found throughout the Appalachian Mountains.

Absinthe

Although Absinthe originated in Switzerland in the late 18th century, it became wildly popular in France in the early 20th century among artists and writers. Social conservatives and prohibitionists loathed it which made it even more enticing to Ernest Hemingway, Charles Baudelaire, Amedeo Modigliani, Vincent van Gogh, and Oscar Wilde — all notable lovers of Absinthe.